Takes Two to Make it Outta Sight

One of the things I love about comics is that they encourage collaborative creativity. While some comics are created by one lonely soul, many are the result of what those in the industry call a “creative team.” Doesn’t that sound like a fun team to be on? Most mainstream comics have a writer and an artist (as well as an inker, a colourer, and a letterer). I think it’s really cool to see how two creators (creative teammates? I don’t think they say that in the industry) come together to make a comic. Both the writing and the art are essential, and they play off of and inform one another to give you the story.

Ellen Forney is a much-loved feminist cartoonist, whose work has appeared in all sorts of places including Bust magazine. She does amazing collaborative work with a diverse range of people, including writers, activists, chefs, potheads and even her grandma. Many of these collaborations appear as “How To” guides.

This is collaboration with with everyone’s favourite comedian, Margaret Cho:

Click to enlarge

Doctors can write comics too:

Click it and make it bigger

Ha! That Mickey Mouse-looking hand is so good!

This one is amazing too:

Click!

These comics and more can be found in Forney’s book, I Love Led Zeppelin which collects her work. Her other great books include a hilarious childhood memoir, I Was Seven in ‘75 and Lust, a collection of sexy personal ads illustrated by Forney. The ads are real, taken from the pages of Seattle’s alt weekly, The Stranger, making the book a collaboration with 30 or so folks. Now that’s a creative team.